What's our responsibility?

[powers]

I personally think that a restaurant has a responsibility to inform (on menu) common allergies. It is in no way [possible to address all possible allergies. Having any condition is a responsibility in itself. I am in recovery from drugs and alcohol. I can't expect a restaurant to address this on their menu. If that were the case ten they would have to address the eating disoders as well. "The items on this menu contain FOOD, if you have any allergies or addictions to FOOD, then we will not be able to cater to your needs." I can see it now, now that I've said this, there will be some kind of lawsuit like this. haha he put FOOD in my meal and I had a relapse.
Society is ridden with silly "conditions" which sometimes effect the ones that really have issues. From a liability standpoint I go above and beyond what is required to inform. I feel an obligation as a business owner. My product is quality and I want to make sure that I am allowed to continue to serve it. I don't wanna get sued by someone looking to make a quick buck. It's almost happened before.

[mochefs]

I have celiac disease, an immune condition in which I can't have wheat or gluten....and eating out of course is a nightmare. (How ironic that I write about food you say?) Yet I do believe it's *my* responsibility to ask and be informed...however....responsibility is a big word.

I of course always ask about specific products, but is the server or cook 'responsible' because they didn't think about the flour that was used in that roux? The gluten in the anti-caking agents for the spices they used? Etc. etc. Of course not.

But I have two strong comments on this issue. First, to the original posters question. I don't think you have any obligation whatsoever, but keep this example in mind....1 in 250 people have celiac disease. Lately there have been a few restaraunts offering menus which list their gluten-free items, and as a community we seek out and frequent those restaraunts like crazy people. So I would think it's a very good differentiator and business decision these days to pro-actively facilitate certain audiences. You'll never meet more loyal customers.

Lastly, my general comment is that many folks in the service industry despise (many times rightfully) that pain in the *** customer who has all sorts of crazy requests and questions. The problem is that it is sometimes difficult to tell those people who are just difficult, picky, latest fad diet arseholes from those who are asking for very serious reasons (yes, I did just minimize an entire group of people. I don't like you, sorry.)....and on more than one occasion I've had kitchen staff disregard some request I've made thinking that it was something I would never notice but leaves me ill for the next several days. So just be careful out there.


[p.s. - To the earlier poster who stated " most people dining out these days are doing it for reasons of necessity, not as a treat." I would say that you view the world through very different lenses than most of us. While I don't know that I would put it into a category of always being a 'treat', I vehemently disagree with the notion that it's *ever* a necessity...particularly for someone with allergies, etc. Just because it's difficult to be a social animal in this society without eating out doesn't mean that its required. It's an 'entitled' point of view that by proxy implies that a restaraunt must therefore "meet your needs". Restaraunts are businesses, don't like that business? Don't go there. But please don't try and say "I *have* to eat there, and you therefore *have* to accomodate me."]

[shel]

Originally Posted by Pete

I think we are getting a little sidetracked here in this discussion. The question is not, 'do restarants offer vegetarian items?' it is whether a restaurant should notify its guests about what is in their food (ie. should menus be full of warning labels and nutrional information). And the second question raised is, do we have a responsibility to try an eliminate as many potentially harmful items as possible from our food as a whole?

There is no need for a menu to be full of warning labels and nutritional information, however, the restaurant staff should be prepared to accurately provide that information should a guest ask about it. As was mentioned earlier, it's easy enough to inform the staff what goes into the food, and having the waitstaff carry a small notebook with the information shouldn't be a hardship.

That said, I've seen many menus on which there are little symbols next to each item indicating whether a meal was low calorie, diabetic-friendly, vegetarian, etc. All that needs to be done is to alert the customer, in any of several ways, that the staff is willing and able to accurately answer any questions the guest may have about the food. The restaurant needn't make a big deal out of this, but it should be clear and obvious to the customers that this option exists.

And yes, a restaurant should "try to eliminate as many harmful items as possible" from their food, within, I'd say, some clear definition of what those items may be.

Ultimately, it's the customer's decision to ask about the things that are important to him or her.

Shel

[shel]

Originally Posted by Jayme

We don't ask a grocery store to set up special "vegan isles" - if a person has particular food choices or allergies, they already know how to make the proper choices when shopping

Many of the supermarkets in my area have a Kosher section, a section for oriental food, a section for Mexican and Latin food, their meat cases contain a section for Kosher meat, there are sections for organic foods ... why not something for Vegans or vegetarians if the customer base is there?

Shel

[Chad Aaland]

Originally Posted by shel

Many of the supermarkets in my area have a Kosher section, a section for oriental food, a section for Mexican and Latin food, their meat cases contain a section for Kosher meat, there are sections for organic foods ... why not something for Vegans or vegetarians if the customer base is there?

Shel

My sister is a vegan as well as all of her friends, and from my experience, they cook more than they eat out. Seems like thai is the food of choice for vegans.

[shel]

Originally Posted by Chad Aaland

My sister is a vegan as well as all of her friends, and from my experience, they cook more than they eat out. Seems like thai is the food of choice for vegans.

Here in Berkeley, and in the San Francisco area in general as well as in certain other parts of the state, there are any number of vegan, vegetarian, and organic foods restaurants. If the demand is there, someone will supply it.

Shel

[RAS1187]

While common allergens should be addressed, and I feel they usually are, if a guest knows they are allergic to something uncommon, they should inquire for the benefit of their health.

Reading the menu can solve alot of problems. If I were deathly allergic to something, I would read the description at least 3x and then verify with the server to make sure XXX is not included in my dish. Alot of people will quickly browse the menu, order, and then send back the dish because they didnt know that XXX is in the dish, even though it is stated on the menu.

[Clove]

Ideally, I would love it if customers with severe allergies could let us know a day in advance.
I do pastry and have had several occasions where I am asked by the server about a gluten-free (dairy-free, etc.) dessert right as the customer is waiting to order. At that point I can usually only offer sorbets or fruit, but on the ocassions when I have received advance notice, I have been able to make something special.
When I first got gluten-free requests, I would worry about the not-so-obvious sources of gluten -is baking powder and cornstarch OK? What about glucose (yes, it is wheat based, but I have heard the gluten is removed in processing). Oats should be safe, but then I was told they are often processed on the same equipment as flour. It is so confusing if I don't live with it everyday. Giving the restaurant notice would help the customer get better service.

[mochefs]

So, I'm listening to a new podcast at the moment from the "Culinary Podcast Network" and it happens to be related to this discussion and particularly my earlier post regarding Celiac disease. I'm still listening to it so I can't yet say how good it is.

If you have any interest you can take a quick listen to this podcast. The chef who made the gluten-free meal starts his interview around 28 minutes into the podcast if you want to skip forward.

You can find the link to listen to it here, as well as links to the celiac network: http://www.gildedfork.com/culinarypodcastnetwork/

"Jennifer and Chef Mark attended a special gluten-free dinner at Chef Aaron Sanchez's Centrico Restaurant, hosted by Red Bridge Beer, a benefit for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. We spoke with Chef Sanchez, Elizabeth Hasselbeck from The View, Brewmaster Kristi Zantop and Vanessa Maltin of the NFCA, and learned about this auto-immune condition."